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When I returned home from my vacation in California last week I discovered that my dog, Baby, was not doing well. She has been losing weight and had lost her appetite. I took her to the emergency veternarian clinic in Careytown the next day. They checked her out and her vital signs were normal. But they had no idea what was wrong with her. They offered to do more tests on her. I asked them, “How much is this going to cost?” “About $500,” the doctor answered. I paused and then replied, “I don’t think I can afford that.” I thought to myself, “I have already spent $200 in the last few minutes here. I  could spend thousands of dollars trying to find out what is going on with Baby and still there would be no guarantee that her health would be restored. After all, she is almost 12 years old now. That is getting old for a dog.”  So, I took Baby back to the car returned home where she could rest as I pondered what to do next. I was hoping for some kind of miracle.

For the next several days Baby continued to get weaker. I tried to feed her soft food like rice and chicken, but she ate very little of it. When I tried to feed her by forcing food into her mouth she would just turn her head away from me. After church last Sunday I returned home just in time. Baby was in the back yard sprawled out on all four legs. She was struggling and  gasping for breath. I knew the end of her life was near. I reached down and picked her up and brought her inside my home. I rubbed her stomach and put water on her tongue. About 30 minutes later she took her last breath. She became very still. I knew life had finally departed from her body. Her frail little body had finally given up. I cried.

Baby and I shared some great years together. I first saw her as she was running wild in the sleepy little town of Marion, Alabama. She looked to have been about one-year old then and must have been abandoned by her owner. For several days I tried to get close to her! But she was fearful. And, she was wild and fast! But, I could tell she had a gentleness to her that made me want to hold her. Finally, after three days of pursuit I managed to catch her by enticing her with food. A few days later she became a Virginian.

Now, I am flooded with memories of Baby. I remember just days before my father died I picked up Baby and sat her up on the bed next to my Dad. My Dad immediately awakened. He loved Baby. When he saw Baby his face lighted up, and he reached over  and began petting her. Baby gave him great joy during his final days of life.  Last May I took Baby on her first ministerial staff retreat. It was there that she experienced her first boat ride! She had never been in a boat before and was a little apprehensive at first. But, the ministerial staff gave her special attention and soon she began feeling right at home on the boat as we cross the lake. She was so happy!

Watching Baby’s life depart from her body reminds me once again how fleeting life is for all of us. In times like these I fall back on the affirmation that there is a loving Creator who has a design and purpose for all of us and all living creatures. Death is part of that design. And, I like to imagine, as the Apostle Paul did, that some day our loving and good Creator will reconcile the whole creation to Himself. I believe God loves and values all His creation. I like to believe that someday He will redeem it (Romans 8).

Now my home seems empty and I feel a her absence, especially at night. There is no Baby to feed and pet in the morning. There is no Baby to walk with in the neighborhood. There is no Baby to sit with on the sofa in the evening.

As I stood over her grave last night I thought about how easy it is for us to become emotionally attached to our pets. Call me crazy, but I like to think that our pets, like Baby, and all of God’s creatures will ultimately end up where they began—with their loving Creator. I believe Baby is loved and valued by her Creator. I hope she felt loved and valued by me.

Love and Grace to everything,

Ralph

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